MUSCAT: US aerospace innovator Odys Aviation has announced the successful production of a prototype of Laila, a hybrid-electric, long-range, pilotless aircraft that will soon commence operational trials in the Sultanate of Oman as part of an Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) evaluation programme.
California-based Odys said the aircraft — a full-scale pre-production prototype built at its Long Beach facility — will be shipped to Oman upon completion of flight testing in the United States. Once in the Sultanate of Oman, Laila will be at the heart of the Operational Launch Programme (OLP), designed to assess its overall performance by combining vertical take-off and landing (VTOL) capabilities with hybrid-electric propulsion and a range of around 725 km.
An agreement to this effect was signed last year between Odys Aviation, the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) and the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Information Technology (MoTCIT).
“Our Operational Launch Programme (OLP) will be the most comprehensive end-to-end Advanced Air Mobility (AAM) customer evaluation ever executed and Laila’s robust capabilities are key”, Odys Aviation said in a post.
“With hybrid propulsion that can deliver up to 450 miles (725 km) of range and transport 130 lbs (about 60 kg) of payload, Laila will allow customers and partners to evaluate a wide range of mission profiles in commercial and defence environments”, the US firm stated.
When eventually deployed, Laila is expected to support a range of air mobility solutions that align closely with the Sultanate of Oman’s geography, infrastructure needs and Oman Vision 2040 priorities. It can rapidly transport tools, spare parts and mission-critical equipment to remote desert oil fields and offshore platforms, reducing delivery times from more than 36 hours by road to under three hours while eliminating risks associated with long-distance desert travel.
The aircraft’s long range, payload capacity and autonomous capabilities also make it ideal for inspecting and monitoring pipelines, ports, power facilities and other strategic infrastructure across remote or hard-to-reach regions. For isolated communities in the mountains, desert and along the coast, Laila can reliably deliver medical supplies, humanitarian aid and essential cargo at operating costs significantly lower than those of traditional rotorcraft.
In emergency and civil defence scenarios, it can support disaster relief operations, accelerate the deployment of critical equipment and enhance national readiness. Because it requires no runways or major infrastructure investments, Laila will enable flexible, point-to-point mobility across Oman’s rugged landscapes, offering a scalable solution for both commercial and civil missions.
“Though Oman was the clear choice for our first Operational Launch Programme, the programme will ultimately go global. And with the completion of this build, we’re one historic leap closer”, Odys Aviation noted.
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